What qualities a pre school principal should have?

Question

i am running a pre school on part - time basis and i find it difficult to manage the things ,it seems things need to be done more effectively by devoting more time which i dont have so i need to have a principal but what all qualities she should have please guide !

Answer 1

Have you considered running the school yourself and hiring a person to assist you?  Anyone can look good on a resume, but having to work with the person can be another thing.  What if the person you hire is on "her own power trip," and doesn't run things like you have been?  With an assistant, you have more power over them to keep things running the way you feel like they should be.

Only you know what kind of person you need, and how much of your job you want that person to take on.  Since you refer to devoting more time, is a stanger going to come in and feel the "devotion" you do to your program?

Answer 2

along with all the great answers, a principal should also have a great sense of humor and outstanding team building/people skills and a calm demeanor.

Answer 3

An effective manager needs to be a good administrator, lead teams, be inspiring, be aware of current legislation and research regarding early years learing and development. Here are some notes that may help you:

Essential skills for managers of child-centred settings Emma Isles-Buck and Shelly Newstead  London: David Fulton 2003

Reflective practice

· Five stage reflective practice model

1. Intention

2. Experience

3. Actions

4. Outcome

5. Development

Reflective practice helps us to develop solutions to problems.

Reflective practice stops us looking for answers where none exist. There are no templates- there are only approaches and solutions. Interacting with different people at different times will produce different results. Being a reflective practitioner means that we are able to start from a different point, drawing on experiences and knowledge, considering ways you have dealt with things in the past and contemplating different approaches and interventions.

Using reflective practice can provide us with a useful reality check. It helps us to ensure we are acting in the way that we believe we are acting.

Specific and continuous reflective practice

Managers who use this develop something like a background ’soundtrack’ that runs throughout their working day and provides a running commentary on what they are doing. In continuous reflective practice, it is possible for the analysis and the development to happen all at the same time

Giving objective criticism

Managers who avoid dealing with the issue of poor performance/bad practice will face conflict at some stage. Managers who blame the individual solely, and/or take it personally that the tem member has not done well, will be ineffective in obtaining the goal of objective criticism. The goal is to change an individual or team performance or attitude to work.

Objective criticism is aimed at the actions, attitude or behaviour, not at the person.

By telling them how they have affected the general work of the team, and/or their own responsibilities, the manger can show how an individual’s actions play a major part in team dynamics. Managers should not presume that an individual has remembered a previously agreed point, or that the individual is solely to blame. Expressing criticism objectively by using facts helps to ensure feedback is not taken as a personal attack.

· Essential skills for change management

1. Confidence

2. Vision

3. Analytical thinking

4. Planning

5. Understanding individual responses to change

6. Time management

7. Leadership

8. Giving feedback

9. Monitoring and evaluation

· Four stage model of change management

1. Analysis

2. Planning

3. Implementation

4. Monitoring and evaluation

Inclusive practice

A full understanding of inclusive practice will require a manager to know what ‘equality’ means both legally and in best practice terms. Hyacinth Malik (1998) A practical guide to Equal opportunities. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes

gives the definition as

· Valuing a diverse, multicultural, multilingual and multiracial society

· Valuing individuals, genders, cultures, religions and lifestyles

· Offering and providing equal chances to everyone in society, irrespective of variation within the population

· Not endorsing the concept of superiority and inferiority within and amongst the population

· Maintaining and upholding each individual’s human right not to be discriminated against and denied their equality

· Recognising that there is a variety of child-rearing practices which are all equally effective in providing security for children.

A policy needs to say more than we will not discriminate against a person because of their race, culture. Disability, etc. It needs to specify how the setting will not discriminate and how you are developing practices that are inclusive.

Understanding basic theory on team traits and dynamics.

Team building requires constant observation and supervision, which can be carried out in a number of ways and does not mean in any way that the team cannot be trusted or that the manger has to be ‘fly on the wall’

Keeping an eye out for differences that might have an impact on working relationships, the tasks being carried out and the general well-being of all the team is the duty of the manger.

There are two theories regarding the impact of personalities impact on the dynamics of the team.

The team traits theory

Dr Meredith Belbin studied team behaviour and structure for over 25 years and in his research he identified nine key roles that have an impact on teams working together.

We have natural traits: a natural tendency to assume particular working roles according to our thinking and behaving.

· Completer

· Coordinator

· Implementer

· Monitor/evaluator

· Plant

· Resource investigator

· Shaper

· Specialist

· Team worker

B.W.Tuckman analysed different stages of development

FORMING: Not yet a team, but a group of individuals who are polite, cautious, and uncertain of their role or purpose and the direction of the team

STORMING: personal agendas are revealed, sometimes resulting in challenges to responsibilities and roles; people try to get to know what the team needs to do and who will do it.

NORMING: The team establishes ways of working, sets of working practice and levels of commitment, and builds trust.

PERFORMING: Getting on with the job, with sharing and supportive team-work, the team is productive and able to meet objectives.

When the team is new or when a new member has joined the team, a manger’s role is to support the forming stage. This may mean more hands on, more direction and supervision, friendly checking up on the situation and observation. When the team is at the storming stage, there can be confusion and distrust that cause conflicts in the team. Here, a manger’s role is to mediate, remain open-minded and consistent In approach to all members of the team and find a solution with the team by being rational, producing facts if necessary. At the norming stage, the team needs the manger to be the organiser and motivator to keep the team’s momentum. At the final stage of performing, the manger is the facilitator for new ideas, problem solving, personal and professional development and setting new goals or targets with the team, keeping them focused on achieving the vision.

“Many things affect confidence- even a few simple words.” Landsberg (2003 ) Tao of Motivation London: Profile books

Answer 4

a pre k principal needs to love children passionately, be creative, and organized. If she isn't organized then no matter how great her ideas will be she won't be able to bring them to fruition.  A principal needs to be able to plan ahead and be on top of the present.  and most importantly she needs to be a role model because the children will look to her and up to her for cleanliness, neatness, morality, and honesty. In other words she needs to practice what she preaches.

Answer 5

They should have a patient personality and be very polite and probably dress appropriotly not in revealing clothes.